Vanaspati — Melakarta 4
Melakarta 4: S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N2 Ṡ ascending; Ṡ N2 D2 P M1 G1 R1 S descending.
Vanaspati is number 4 in the 72-Melakarta system. It has seven svaras in both ascent and descent, in their regular order.
Scale
Arohana: S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N2 Ṡ
Avarohana: Ṡ N2 D2 P M1 G1 R1 S
The ascent ends on upper Sa; the descent returns to the starting Sa. Choose a comfortable Sa; the relationships between the notes remain the same.
Svara names
| Symbol | Svara |
|---|---|
| S | Shadja |
| R1 | Shuddha Rishabha |
| G1 | Shuddha Gandhara |
| M1 | Shuddha Madhyama |
| P | Panchama |
| D2 | Chatusruti Dhaivata |
| N2 | Kaisiki Nishada |
Place in the Melakarta system
Chakra: 1 — Indu; position 4 of six.
This scale uses M1 — Shuddha Madhyama. Its paired Melakarta, Navaneetam — Melakarta 40, keeps the other six svaras and changes only Madhyama.
Within each chakra, the six scales share Rishabha, Gandhara and Madhyama; their Dhaivata–Nishada combinations change. The complete Melakarta chart makes these relationships easy to compare.
From scale to raga
The scale gives the note framework. A raga’s musical identity also comes from its characteristic phrases, ornamentation and treatment of those notes. Read Raga and Svara for these distinctions.